Outdoors EDC flashlight for summer camp

[syrn]

Hi CPF,

I work at a summer camp in upstate NY as an audio engineer. It is not uncommon to come across a copperhead at night and there have been cases where people have been bitten and helivaced to the nearest hospital. The area is in a valley which means that walking to my bunk I need to traverse a rocky hill some couple hundred feet off the main road. I may take it out on an occasional hike in the mountains.

I would like if possible a moonlight function so I can get in my living quarters without waking a sleeping roommate while still having enough light to find a change of clothing.

I will also need to get to the wash-house and back in the middle of the night about 50 feet away from the bunk, not really necessary to preserve night vision as the fluorescent bathrooms lights are always on to blind me anyways.

My primary function will be lighting up the main road (some 12+ feet) directly in front and ahead of me as I'll be looking for snakes and animals in front of me, especially at my feet. Being in the valley, the terrain is very steep, aside from the relatively flat main dirt road.

As an audio engineer I need a setting low enough to quickly glance at the board without drawing attention to myself in the booth.

The light will be used about 2-3 hours each night in total runtime, mostly for walking around but with a bit of fun messing around in high mode seeing how far I can throw and what I can light up.

1) I will be buying online
2) Budget: Less than $75.
3) Format: I want a flashlight.
4) Flashlight-specific format/size: (I'd like form factor to be fairly uniform.)
X____Every day carry medium (4-7 inches).

5) Emitter/Light source:
X____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)

6) Manufacturer:
X____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
X____I would consider getting a light that is pieced together (for example a “host” or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a “drop-in” emitter from another source). Under the right circumstances, this path can provide more options to the consumer to meet specific needs, and can often be easily upgradeable as technology improves.

7) What battery type do you want to use?
X____I intend to use rechargeable nickel chemistry AA (NiCad, NiMH, NiZn)
X____I intend to use rechargeable lithium (li-ion) chemistry. Feel free to specify a size if you know which size you want (14500, RCR123/16340, 17500, 17670, 18650, etc.)

(AA would be most convenient, but I'd be willing to try others if the additional runtime and brightness is good enough to warrant the additional cost. Please recommend which batteries and charger I should get if not AA.)

8) Lumens: The more I can get for the money the better. Would be fun to see how much of the large ballfield I can light up. It's more than 2 soccer pitches long.
X____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
X____I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).

9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.
X____Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
X____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
X____50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)
X____150+ yards (I want maximum throw possible)

10) Runtime: High 2hrs + (would be nice if I only had to charge it once or twice a week)
11) Durability/Usage: Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box). Strong enough to survive a few drops in the rugged terrain.
12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):
X____I want a forward clicky (Helpful for momentary activation and signaling).
X____I want a reverse clicky (For use with multi-mode/level lights).
X____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today’s high end lights).

13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
X____I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
X____Programmable light would be nice as I have many tasks, might not meet my budget though.

14)Material/Finish/Coating:
X____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today’s flashlights).

15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.
X____Holster would be nice, not a deal breaker.
X____Able to tailstand.

Thanks for reading, looking forward to all your comments and recommendations!!

[BLUE LED]

Eagletac D25LC2 XP-G S2 clicky is worth a consideration.

[reppans]

Take a look at 4Sevens Quarks, Zebralight 51s, EagleTac D25, and Thrunite. These have good selections of AA lights with sub 1 lumen, moonlight levels. I happen to prefer the first 2 manufacturers since they also have another good battery saving low mode < 4 lumens when moonlight is not enough. IMHO, the high modes of these lights are going to be in the same ballpark.

My favorite camping/outdoor set-up is a Quark AA^2 XML with optional 1xAA body, so you can choose between power/runtime and EDC small size. Runs on all grades of gas: Alks, NiMh, Lithium and (1x)14500 lithium ion. From 0.3 lumens to 300 lumens and probably 200-600 hrs (moonlight) runtime, depending upon battery config. The unused tube makes a great spare battery container. A couple of weeks ago, you could have put this set-up together for about $63... but seems the rebranding sales cleared most of the old logo inventory out by now.

Moonlight is awesome.... it's often enough light, and you can just leave it on for hours straight without putting a dent in your batteries.

[TEEJ]

Having worked in the past catching and releasing timber rattlers and copperheads from populated camps, trails, etc, back to more wild areas....I can tell you that those suckers are hard to see at night w/o a broad enough beam to provide context for the way they are situated.

IE: A small beam is a bad idea for these critters. Seeing a small patch of scales in some dead leaves will not be noticed at night...but seeing the entire trail including the other end of said patch of scales, and the larger pattern it all fits into, etc...makes them easier to spot.


For myself, for what you describe between not being injected with venom and also needing to see your board w/o too much light/not waking people up....I'd go with a Zebralight SC600. For some other applications, I'd use the (Yellower beam) SC600W version, but, for snakes in leaves, I'd go with the SC600 to catch scale glint better.

It has moonlight modes, and several low, medium and high settings, and a memory, so it comes on where you last had it/programmed it to come on at...useful if turning it on in a dark tent, etc, and NOT wanting your eyeballs fried while scrolling down. Importantly, its broad pool of light means you can see more naturally, instead of seeing the trail as if you were looking through a paper towel tube, etc, as most other lights make you do.

That means you have 750 lumens on max output to see that bear/confirm that leaf pile/other side of that log across the trail is safe, etc...as well as a progressive reduction from there as needed to step it down to sub-lumen levels if needed.

Its only about 4" long, takes one 18650, and is rated to withstand falling into a creek, etc.


I'd look long and hard at the Zebralight SC600 for what you describe...despite it being slightly over your budget.

[BarryG]

Another vote for the Quark! With the regular interface, you have quick access to moonlight and max and the other levels are easy to get to as well. Great battery life on lower levels and plenty bright on the higher. A neutral tint might be a good option too, hard to tell a copperhead from a bunch of leaves!




Barry

[GunnarGG]

I don't have a SC600 and I don't know anything about copperheads but I think TEEJ made a good suggestion about the SC600.

One thing to make clear though:

The Zebralights don't have memory - and that is a good thing IMHO.

It doesn't matter if you used it on max or low or if you don't remember what mode you used last time, you can always choose to start in low or high or go quickly to medium.
It does however remember if low was in low 1 or low 2 etc but it still prevents you from blasting out 700 lumens when you want to illuminate something on 20 cm distance with darkadapted eyes.
My choice would be the SC600w

[syrn]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm still considering my options.

If I were to go with the Zebralight I'd probably get the SC600 regular over the "W" for its greater lumens and throw and as TEEJ suggested from experience it will catch scale glint better. It would be quite the investment even with the CPF discount it comes out to $90 + 2 batteries and a charger would be at least another $30.

I took a look at some different models of the quark series, none of them seem to light up an area nearly as well as the sc600 from what I've seen in beamshots.

Are there any cheaper alternatives I could look at for my purposes?

Btw, I took a serious look at the D25LC2 clicky and while the output is impressive for the size, I don't think I can live with the UI, lack of moonlight mode, and no mode memory for that light is a downside with the UI. I know some of the other variations have the moonlight and mode memory, just not sure I'm sold on their UI.

At this point, I am stuck with the fact that the SC600 really suits my needs but it is quite the budget stretch at a realistic 120+ dollars after battery and charger.

[BarryG]

There are a number of dealers who have a great reputation of customer service here. Batteryjunction, 4sevens, goinggear, lighthound and lightjunction just to name a few.
Look at these dealers, if you find a light that you like, check back here for reviews.
Join over at the marketplace to gain access to the discount codes for CPF members.
Some of the dealers a mentioned let you filter the lights by battery type, tint, body material, etc. to make your choice easier.
When you join the marketplace, check the WTS section and you may find the light you are looking for at bargain price, we are always thinning the herd!
If you get a light that can use primaries, you can get a charger and batteries later.


Above all, enjoy a new hobby and never turn back to the dark side!


Barry

[syrn]

I am now considering the Quark X AA² XM-L, as previously suggested, largely due to budget constraints. I found the light for about $50. My one concern is if it will be able to light up the 12+ foot wide road ahead of me adequately at 24 lumens on medium. There is a large jump between medium and high at 115 lumens and I would not like to burn battery if I don't have to.

Can anyone with experience with the series comment?

[campingnut]

I EDC a Quark AA with a protected 14500 Li-ion cell. It has taken some serious abuse ( my wife ran it through a full cycle in the wash and dryer), besides being dropped countless times. With an Eneloop the max is great, but with a 14500 max will light up my entire yard. You always can keep an extra cell in your pocket/bag/etc in case you run your light out.

[campingnut]

24 lumens is plenty of light to walk. If I was worried about snakes, I would be running on max (with a big stick).

[syrn]

Just purchased the Quark X AA² XM-L for $45.50 shipped!! I actually did see the sc600 in the FS forum for $80 but adding charger + battery costs I figured this was the better purchase. Thanks for all your help guys, it is much appreciated! What a great community.

[BarryG]

Great choice! You can run it with lithium's and get a charger and eneloop's later on. Beware of alkie's, I'd hate to see a new light ruined by a leaky one!
Gotta love the 10yr warranty too!

Almost forgot....



Barry

[PA86]

Are the initials of the camp you work at perchance F.W.?